Monodraught has been awarded an annual contract to supply and install its SunPipe natural-lighting systems and controls in buildings throughout the Environment Agency’s southern region, which includes Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Stephen Matthews, Chief Executive of CIBSE, argues that building-services engineers are part of a very small number of people that can really do anything about climate change.

The CHP installation serving a housing development in Newcastle is reckoned to be the most efficient in the UK and the second best in Europe, according to Baxi-SenerTec, which presented the DACHS Award to housing company Places for People for its outstanding contribution to the development of sustainable housing.

Calor gas is being use to power the National Trust’s first LPG CHP unit. It is in Cornwall at Trelissick Garden near Feock. The decision to introduce a low-carbon heating solution was made when a project was commissioned to extend and refit catering facilities at the site.

A Danfoss heat pump has been installed to replace oil-fired boiler plant at Woolfardisworthy (pronounced Woolsery) sports and community hall in Devon; the oil-fired plant has been retained to provide back-up in extreme conditions.

Professor Terry Payne argues that the potential of natural ventilation as a sustainable alternative to energy-hungry air conditioning is in danger of being stifled by Part L2A of the Building Regulations.

A 200 kW packaged air-source heat pump is providing the heating for a new serviced office building of Arena Business Centre at Poole. It offers 16 mezzanine studios ranging from 60 to 130 m2, and Arena was looking for a heating solution that would be cost effective and efficient, with low carbon emissions.

Mitsubishi Electric’s headquarters at Hatfield is well visited by those looking for ways to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. The company’s own facilities manager, James Hobson, gives an insight into what can be seen — and takes readers behind the scenes to show how green ambition is matched with operating reality.

Homes in a world of climate change will have to use little or no energy while still maintaining a stable internal environment, as Jeff Culp explains.

Hoval’s CombiSol versatile thermal storage vessel enables various renewable and conventional heat sources to be easily combined and controlled effectively in a single system for space heating and domestic hot water. For example, solar heating can be combined with a condensing boiler to make maximum use of available solar energy, supplemented by the condensing boiler.

The installation of a solar thermal array at a school in Worle, Weston-Super-Mare, is expected to deliver CO2 savings of over 41 t a year. Dalkia designed and installed the system at St Martin’s Junior School as part of its ongoing work to reduce energy costs for schools in North Somerset.

Mitsubishi Electric is highlighting the future of residential heating to installers and consumers with a new web site dedicated to its Ecodan award-winning low-carbon heating system designed specifically for the UK residential sector.

A ‘solar chimney’ system designed by Levolux drives ventilation in a new building at Lancaster University to prevent the build up of heat.

The best way for the building-services sector to tackle climate change is to focus on the obvious, says HVCA president Gareth Vaughan.

Scorpion Power Systems has launched a range of CHP systems. PowerTherm is unique to the European market. Its engine technology gives 85.5% package efficiency with thermal recovery.

Carrier RentalXpress, the portable air-conditioning hire company in the London region, is to continue to plant a tree on behalf of customers which hire a unit for 12 weeks to offset their carbon costs, using the services of the Woodland Trust.

The City of York is trialling Vaillant’s solar DHW system in a property in the village of Wheldrake to the south east of York, which is expected to halve the cost of DHW. British Gas Housing Services Group is installing the auroTHERM solar panels, an ecoTEC plus condensing system boiler and a 200 litre auroSTOR cylinder.

Low-impact environmental control of the new pavilion in Reigate’s Priory Park is achieved by a ground-source heating pump, natural ventilation, solar reflecting glazing and a highly insulated roof to reduce solar gain.

The new Furnival building at Sheffield Hallam University has its heating provided by ground-source heat pumps supplied and installed by Danfoss Heat Pumps UK, formerly ECO Heat Pumps in Sheffield.

Dimplex has launched a 3-day training course on ground-source products following the success of its accredited installer training scheme for air-source heat pumps.

Heat-pump manufacturer Dimplex has welcomed an amendment to the technical guidance for the ‘Code for Sustainable homes’ by DCLG (Department of Communities & Local Government) that recognises the energy-efficiency and carbon-saving benefits of heat pumps.

Nu-Heat has added solar thermal technology to its one-stop shop of renewables solutions for house builders. The others are heat pumps and underfloor heating. There are air- and ground-source heat pumps and versions that can extract energy from exhaust air.